Years later, Lisa would put those lessons to work and build a wooden boat of her own—a plywood V-bottom runabout she named Björn Again, in honor of her grandfather, Björn Egeli. But as much as boats and boatbuilding remained of interest to her, it was Egeli’s art career that took precedence. Lisa spent two years in college
me, that connection is boats, boating, and life on the water. I have lived it, I continue to live it, and I paint it.” History and nature conservation play important roles in Lisa’s art. Her marine paintings are representative of this, bringing the viewer to places that have seen changes over time, are quickly disappearing, or in some cases, are gone forever. “While I am not recreating what is already gone,” she explains, “I do feel a sense of urgency to paint the rapidly changing natural world along our coasts.”
Björn Again underway.
Building Björn Again in Virginia before attending Chicago’s American Academy of Art, graduating in 1988. The formal, more academic curriculum offered at the Academy provided Lisa with the strong foundational skills necessary to jumpstart her interest in portrait painting. She received a number of small commissions from friends and family, and major commissions soon followed. Egeli’s love for painting the natural world and coastal scenes, however, never waned. In 1991, she set out on a nine-month painting tour that took her to Europe, India, Southeast Asia, China, and New Zealand in pursuit of distinctive landscapes. Painting trips since have included Alaska, Africa, South America, and a myriad of destinations within the United States, ultimately leading Lisa back to the waters and shorelines near the Churchton, Maryland, home she so treasures. As many artists will proclaim, the subject of a painting is not selected simply because it is appealing, but understanding why it matters is equally important. It is all about the connection. “Something that is worth painting—something that you care about—is what is key,” says Egeli. “For
Lazy Days on Galatea, by Peter Egeli, oil, 24 x 36 inches. Father and daughter painting together.
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